


the heaviness you've known

by teamcap



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drabble, Established Relationship, F/M, i've never written them before so honestly idk what i'm doing, title from heirloom by sleeping at last
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 00:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12047145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamcap/pseuds/teamcap
Summary: “I like to think I’m a better man than my father was,” Jaime said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be a better father.”“You are not your father,” Brienne wrapped her arms around him a bit tighter. “You aren’t, and you never will be. She’s only been here for a week and you already look at her like she hung the moon and put all the stars in the sky.”





	the heaviness you've known

It was nearing three in the morning when Brienne woke up. She rubbed at her eyes a few times and double checked the time on her phone to make sure she had it right - 2:51, according to the clock on her screen. She rarely woke up in the dead of night, but her sleeping schedule was a bit off, so she thought nothing of it and flipped to her other side. Her arms reached out for Jaime unconsciously, but found only the blankets wrinkled where he’d been laying. Brienne frowned, then got out of bed and padded down the hall to the nursery. The door was already cracked open.

Jaime was inside, standing at the foot of the crib, looking down at the bundle lying in it. Brienne walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, hooking her chin over his shoulder.

“You should be asleep,” Jaime whispered.

“So should you.”

“I’m not the one who gave birth last week.” Brienne ignored this.

“Was she crying?”

“No,” Jaime said. “She’s been asleep at least as long as I’ve been in here.”

“Mhm,” Brienne nuzzled into his neck a bit, “how long is that?” She felt Jaime shrug and place his hand over hers. Something was wrong, she knew, but he would tell her when he wanted to say it. They stood like that for a while and Brienne stared in awe at their daughter. Joanna - they had named her after Jaime’s mother - had her father’s green eyes and her mother’s fair hair and skin. She’d been born barely a week ago and was already surrounded by more love than Brienne ever thought possible. She herself loved the girl with something she never knew she had in her - she knew the moment Jo’s tiny hand had grabbed for her fingers in the hospital that she would do anything for her. Jaime and Tyrion were enamored with her, and gods knew the Starks would spoil her even more than her parents. 

“What if I’m not a good father?” There it was - Brienne had wondered if Jaime was feeling that way, but she hadn’t had enough time to even think about it, much less talk to him. “My father was…,” Jaime trailed off, turned his head to look at Brienne. “What if I’m like him?”

“You cried in the hospital,” Brienne said. Jaime gave her a confused glance, and she continued, “after I had her. You were holding her, and you were crying, and you had this look on your face like you would do anything in the world for her. You would, I know you would, because you had the same look on your face when you were looking at her a few minutes ago. Jaime, we aren’t going to be perfect. We-we’re going to make mistakes and do stupid things. That doesn’t mean we’re bad parents.”

“I like to think I’m a better man than my father was,” Jaime said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be a better father.”

“You are not your father,” Brienne wrapped her arms around him a bit tighter. “You aren’t, and you never will be. She’s only been here for a week and you already look at her like she hung the moon and put all the stars in the sky.”

“I think she did.” Brienne laughed,

“Listen to me: you are not your father. Okay? She’s the luckiest little girl in the world to have you as her father, Jaime.” He moved from Brienne’s hold and kissed her, soft and slow, and she smiled. “Come back to bed.” Brienne laid awake for a while after Jaime went back to sleep. She’d figured his mind would go there, and she would do everything she could to show him how drastically different he was from Tywin Lannister. Jaime’s words echoed in her head as she drifted back to sleep - _‘I think she did.’_ Brienne thought she did, too, and she was sure Jaime had helped.


End file.
